Sweet vs. Stalker

I saw this picture on Post Secret.




At first I thought "wow, that gives me chill bumps. how precious!".




Then I thought "wow, that gives me chill bumps. it's kindove stalker-ish".






Thoughts?

T

The Last Fling Before The Rings!!!

Saturday night was MK & WIMP's combined bachelorette party. Both girls had friends come in from out of town, and everyone decided to stay at a downtown hotel to assure they arrived home in one piece. Excellent plan.

I am a member of a club with a pool, so I invited all of the girls to begin the day by sitting poolside enjoying some cocktails. Unfortunately, I lost my camera battery (which had to be replaced, obviously) and had some last minute decorating to do...so I never made it. However, the girls had a splendid time sunning their buns and catching up!

We started the evening by having a little get together at TEN's apartment.



It was decorated in tacky bachelorette fashion, of course, and we played "pin the nacho on the macho" and other such naughty things.


One of the bridesmaids had koozies made with both of the girl's names, the date & "last fling before the rings" with Smalltown, VA listed as the location of the event. Isn't that clever!!!! I have never seen such a thing, but I will surely enjoy my keepsake.

One of the blow up toys we had for the girls was a 3 foot "member", if you will. The girls had to tote it around with them all night! Both MK & WIMP requested not to be completely embarrassed, and therefore we did not make them wear "Suck for a Buck" t-shirts or anything. However, they surely did get multiple honks while toting the extra-large "member" around downtown Smalltown, VA. Poor "member".....it wasn't allowed in one establishment and had to wait by the door :(

MK taking the "member" for a spin!

WIMP toting the "member" to the bar

The saddest part, for me, was that I got sick. Not drinking sick, mind you, but more like stomach flu sick. It was terrible!!!! I was planning to stay at TEN's apartment, but didn't have his key. So, BFF texted him immediately to tell him that his presence was needed ASAP. He came and took me home and I was miserable. Miserable to be feeling so awful, and miserable to have missed out on one of the most special nights for two of my very best friends.

I have thoroughly enjoyed hearing all of the stories, and seeing the pictures, but nothing will ever replace actually being there. Sigh.

Oh well. Here's to bachelorette parties, and celebrating The Last Fling Before The Rings!! Hope you girls had a LOVELY time.

Love,
T

If It's Not Negotiable, It's Not A Negotiation.....

I got back to Smalltown, VA on Sunday. I then had to leave that very evening for DC for a week long training on how to be a better sales person!! I have to say...I was NOT excited in the least. I've been through numerous sales trainings in my career. Most of them simply regurgitate what I already know and do every day in my job.

However...I was pleasantly surprised! This sales training was actually something a little bit different. Although many of the concepts were the same, our instructor took a different approach. He talked about how it is okay to walk away from a sale if you feel that the client isn't invested in moving forward. I don't know why that is so hard for me, but I've already "walked away" from two clients this week. It felt wonderful! They may come back on their own, but regardless...I will not be wasting any more of my precious time on them until they show me that we are a good fit.

WOW! That kindove sounds like a relationship doesn't it? Like a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship. Perhaps I should have gone to this specific sales training long ago? It probably would have saved me lots of wasted time on guys that simply weren't invested enough. Because really, if it's not negotiable...it's not a negotiation. I always tend to date guys that try to negotiate with me. Negotiation about EVERYTHING. What we will have for dinner. What movie we will see. Where we will go on vacation. What the heck?!?!?! At what point did I not say "look sucker, I want to do this and if you don't then get lost". All relationships require COMPROMISE. I get that. But when the entire relationship becomes a negotiation, we have a problem.

So, I'm going to start treating my clients like we are in a relationship. A real, significant relationship. There are endless amounts of opportunities for me out there, and if someone is taking up too much of my time, becoming an emotional drain, and only bringing in limited $$ for me I am going to dump them. Oh the joys of being a consultant :)

The really fun part of our training (outside of me spending 4 straight days analysing relationships) is that our London counterparts came to DC as well! They were so much fun to hang out with. I really like getting to know people outside of the work environment, and let me just tell you.....the London bunch did not disappoint. Out of respect for everyone involved I will not post any pictures.....but oh how I wish I could!!!

MK and I (yes, MK had to go to the training as well) headed back to Smalltown, VA on Friday around noon. It took us 6 hours to get home due to traffic. I was rather grumpy and sleepy and all a mess upon my return, and went directly to TEN's house to decorate it in tacky, snarky bachelorette things for Saturday. God love him. He really is a good sport :) I won't go into why. Okay, yes I will. I couldn't blow up the p*nises and such and so he helped me. Isn't he a prince? I am so very lucky, and I do know it. Believe me. He let 16 girls take over his apartment, and he let me cover it from top to bottom with naked men and other tacky bachelorette party things. Thank you TEN. I will NOT forget that any time soon <3

T

HERE COMES THE BRIDE....

The Real Housewife of Delaware was married the weekend before last. It was quite the affair, and she looked stunning.

TRHoD is always as cool as a cucumber. She doesn't let others (except for a treasured few) see her sweat. EVER. However, as we were all standing in the church waiting for them to tell us it was time to start walking down the aisle...she lost it. Completely lost it. As in hyperventilating and such. It was awful. I studied her closely. Trying to determine if she was thinking "Oh. My. God. What. Am. I. Doing?" OR if it was more of an "Oh. My. God. I've. Finally. Found. My. Husband."

I unzipped her wedding dress and she took a few deep breaths. Then the tears came. It was then that I realized that she was terrified. Not of marrying Mr. TRHoD. Of actually getting married. For years she and I have said we would grow old together. Alone, but together. We would be the two old ladies sharing a house with cats. Or dogs. Or whatever.

And all of the sudden...that wasn't going to happen. She was going to walk down the aisle to HIM. To the love of her life, and she would be a "wife" and "married" and have a "husband". It was all just too much to digest at once. We got her to the vestibule, and the bridesmaids marched on down to the front of the church. As TRHoD rounded the corner on her father's arm, I could see she was still hyperventilating. Halfway down the isle I thought she was going down. Her father supported her, and got her up to the alter, and to the groom.






And then...the most magical thing happened.




She relaxed. She smiled. She giggled. She just had to get to HIM and then she was okay. Everything was just as it should be.

I love a wedding where you don't just witness two people getting married. Instead you witness something magical. Something outside of what you rehearsed the night before. It makes it so much more real. And special. And it makes me want it too :)

The reception was a blast. Probably the second most fun reception I've ever attended. Saturday was a long day with hair and make-up and all that jazz. Poor TEN was stuck at the hotel all day by himself. I left at 9am, saw him for about 15 minutes while I changed, and then again right after the wedding at 5:45. I hadn't realized that there wouldn't be a plan for the dates of the girls in the wedding :( Good thing there were a few other "stranded" guys for him to chat with. All in all...I wrapped up the weekend adoring him even more. Any guy that can survive a wedding weekend with my friends deserves a gold star for sure, especially when he's left to fend for himself!


**note to self....always have a plan for the dates of your bridal party.


So here's to The Real Housewife of Delaware and Mr. TRHoD. Thank you so very much for having me as a part of your special day. Love and Happiness to you both.....

The Real Housewife of Delaware in her gown

Notice the "I Do" on her shoes? It was her "something blue". How clever!!

Some of the bridesmaids

TEN and I

Mr. & Mrs!!! (i adore the idea of having a "reception dress" to relax in)

The countdown is on for JLB & The Juggler! Their wedding is September 5th. So excited!!!

T

For Shame!!

I am terrible. Just plain terrible :(

KLC from Tales of a Northern Belle tagged me AGES ago, and I totally forgot to post about it. Gaahhhh! What is wrong with me? I've just gone and gotten myself so busy these last few months that I've forgotten the important things in life. My apologies KLC!

I've been tagged to list "Things that make me feel sexy". This is kindove funny, because I am probably the least sexy person in this world. I have always been described at cute...but NEVER sexy. At the time that KLC tagged me I asked TEN whatever I should blog about that makes me feel sexy. He knows I have this "I'm not sexy at all" complex. He suggested the following:

1. pickles
2. cheddar and sour cream chips
3. diet coke
4. murder she wrote

I'm not sure he really got the gist of it, but it made me laugh. Because really....the above 4 things are faves of mine. I'm not sure they make me feel "sexy", but they sure do make me feel happy. Yes, yes...I know. Murder She Wrote is from like the 70's or something. It's over. It's cheesy. I hear you. But I can't help myself. I have about 25 episodes DVR'd at any given time. Angela Lansbury has kept me company on many a cold, lonely, snowy night. So TEN can pick on her all he wants...she will always be special to me :)

Anyway, back to feeling sexy and such. Here are the rules:

1. Write 5 things that make you feel sexy
2. Post a pic (only if you dare)
3. Pass it on to 5 lovely bloggers

Okay, I'm going to give it a shot. Don't laugh.

THINGS THAT MAKE ME FEEL SEXY:

1. Having a mani/pedi
2. Wearing super high heels (that I can actually walk in without falling over)
3. Wearing short dresses
4. Playing footsies under the table (in an inappropriate setting)
5. Knowing that someone can't get enough of you...and feeling exactly the same way :)

And, as for my picture......it does incorporate 3 of the above (mani/pedi - check, high heels - check, short dress - check). This is from the bachelorette party this past weekend. Details to come!

Totally random/awkward picture, I know....but I couldn't find any that didn't have my arms literally wrapped around others. Well, there is one....but it was tacky, so I'm not going to post it :) Anyway....the above picture depicts manicured/pedicured toes and fingers, high heels and a VERY short dress. So there!

I hereby tag the following people to tell us all what makes THEM feel sexy!

Emily Elizabeth And The Big Blue Dog

Tudor City Girl

The High-Heel Diaries

Polka Dots & Protein Bars

Susan in the South

Here's to feeling sexy!

T

Pekaboo!

Out of town wedding + week in DC for training + bachelorette party + philanthropy project = MIA T!!

I have many lovely stories and pictures to share, and will hopefully get the chance to do so tomorrow.

Until then,

T

Congratulations D & P!!!

My very good friends D & P got engaged this weekend.





I adore the two of them, and they are seriously "the perfect couple". I also like the fact that D (female) is older than P (male). I did a little survey over the weekend and found that most of my girlfriends are either dating or married to men who are younger than them. Who knew I was so trendy??


T

How Much Is Too Much?

Dear IBM Think Pad,

Is it really necessary to document all of the internet surfing I do? Is it a MUST that you tell the IT department when I've been doing it too much? Is it possible that you could quit jamming up and freezing because you have so many cookies or pies or whatever stored on you? Because seriously....you are keeping me from being able to facebook and blog at work. And that, my dear IBM Think Pad, is a problem.

Sincerely,

T


NOW THAT WE'VE GOT THAT OUT OF THE WAY.....


.......LET'S TALK ABOUT THE WEEKEND!!!!!


Friday night WIMP and I prepped for MKs Bridal Shower on Sunday. Remember that the super beer fest was all day Saturday, so we had to have everything in place Friday night.

(FYI...I just figured out how to make words extra large and extra small, and to use different fonts. I know, I know....I'm lame-o)

We attempted to go with a Moroccan theme, but I'm not sure we actually succeeded. What we did achieve was a lovely shower with bold, bright colors and lots of tasty cocktails :) I found these fancy sunflowers and made them the centerpiece of each table.

WIMP decorated the kitchen table with as many "Moroccan" colors as she could.

We have a new cupcake shop in town and none of us had sampled any of their treats yet. So, I decided MK needed to have them for her shower. They were....YUMMY!


MK racked up in the gift department, and now she and Brando are trying to figure out where to store all of their lovely prizes! Getting married sure is a lot of work :)

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Saturday was an early morning to say the least! I was at the park early to help set up for the beer festival, and I swear by 9am it was already 95 degrees in the shade. Ugghhh. The great news is that, other than the heat, the weather was lovely. The festival was packed, and we made lots of money for our cause!!!!

By the end of the day we were all exhausted, and pretty much just wanted to collapse on the spot. Sweet little TEN lugged my 10x10 tent about 20 blocks from the park to his apartment. I would have tried to help you see, but it was all I could do to keep from lying down in a corner like a homeless person and taking a little siesta. I'm not even joking. We were that tired. I was also incredibly grumpy :( I can go 3 days without food and never lose my tempter. But take away my sleep and you are asking for it! I was snippy and snide and bless his heart TEN is quite the champ for not throwing me into oncoming traffic to hush my mouth. I promptly fell into bed and slept like the dead.

Another lovely weekend has come and gone:) AND...this weekend promises to be exciting to say the least. The Real Housewife of Delaware is getting married!!! I am a bridesmaid, and am most excited about the festivities. TEN and I will be heading out of town for the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner on Friday. The wedding is Saturday evening, and then we will head back to Smalltown, VA on Sunday. Unfortunately for me...I then have to drive to DC Sunday evening for a Global Sales Summit for work. I will be there all week. Boo hiss!

T

The Hangover

I forgot to share my feedback. I realize I'm a little late in the game, seeing it just now, but whatever. I loved it. I laughed so hard one time that I spit on the person in front of me. It was awful. But I couldn't help it.

There were definitely parts that were just okay. For the most part I laughed. Uncontrollably.

And in closing, let me just say:

"I tend to think of myself, as a one man wolf pack. Though when my sister brought Doug home I knew he was one of my own. And my wolf pack, it grew by one. So there was two of us in the wolf pack, I was alone first in the pack and then doug joined later. And six months ago when Doug introduced me to you guys, I thought "wait a second could it be?" and now I know for sure I just added two more guys to my wolf pack. Four of us wolves running around the desert together in Las Vegas, looking for strippers and cocaine. So tonight, I make a toast!"

T

Beerfests and Bridal Showers

This weekend is Smalltown, VA's beerfest. It's a HUGE event where microbreweries from up and down the East Coast come to town and set up in our park. The event is not only fun, but all proceeds go to support the arts in Smalltown, VA. So it's like drinking beer for a good cause. You can't beat that!

I'm on the board of the organization that puts this beerfest on. It's a lot of work. Not being on the board necessarily, but putting on this event. It our organization's largest even of the year, and it brings in thousands of dollars for our cause.

Thus far the weather reports say it will be a glorious day. I'm volunteering all day long at the event, and am excited to see how much money we can raise this year! So here is a shout out to Daisy for all of her hard work on this event (she is the event chair). You have done a fabulous job, and it will be a HUGE success!!!

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Sunday is MK's bridal shower. I'm hosting the shower at my home, and I'm most excited!! I can't share with you any of the things WIMP and I are doing yet, because we certainly don't want MK to know before Sunday :) However, I will be sure to post pictures next week. Lots of friends will be coming together to celebrate MK and Brandon, and to shower them with gifts. Does it get any better than that? Oh yes...it does! I'm making my favorite concoction for the girls. Blueberry lemonade. Yummy!

Have a lovely weekend, and I hope the weather where you are is supposed to be as glorious as it is here.

T

Bad, Bad Spider...Why Did You Bite Me?

I've been gone for a few days, but it hasn't been my fault. It's was the fault of this nasty little spider. I can't tell you what kind he was because he fled the scene of the crime before I even knew there was a crime!

Last Tuesday I was bitten on my side. It was red and itchy and painful. I scratched it, and then put some antibiotic on it thinking that would solve the problem. WRONG! I won't go into details, because it really isn't pleasant...let's just say that I ended up in Urgent Care on Wednesday with a doctor sticking a needle into my side. Ouch!

MK went with me, thank goodness! I'm kindove sensitive when it comes to doctors and needles and such. I have good reason. I never get a cold really. I get attacked by a swarm of yellow jackets (which it turns out I'm deathy allergic to) and end up in the ER where they promptly cut my let open to extract stingers. This happens at least once a year. Well, not exactly that...but something that dramatic. I was 100% sure the doctor would have to cut me as a result of this spider bite. Thank heavens he just jabbed needles in me :)

So, I'm all bandaged up and on antibiotics and feeling rather pitiful during my recouperation. It's not life threatening or anything, but I'm milking it for all it's worth. Every time I clean/dress my wound TEN says "eeewwww...gross". I proceed to pout and then he makes me a steak dinner. I'm kindove thinking I'm not going to let on when I'm all healed!

As I said, I haven't a clue what kind of spider has bitten me. I'm imagining it must have looked like this due to all of the damange he's done:

Eeeeks!

T

And In Closing....

....I have absolutely no idea where this picture came from. I may very well have taken it from YOUR blog. If I did, please let me know and I will give you credit for making launch into giggles every time I see this.

I have been trying to clean up all of the saved pictures on my computer. The pictures that I randomly insert into my blog, and then never use again. And never delete. You know the ones. Anyway, I came across this pic and just had to share:


HAPPY TUESDAY!

T

Peacocks, Ladder Golf & Eggs Benedict

Saturday afternoon I attended a peacock themed wedding. That was definitely a first for me. The bride has a thing for peacocks, and asked me my thoughts on a peacock themed wedding months ago. I said go for it! Because really....it would be something different.

To be quite honest, I was really excited. I thought I would see something like this:

Unfortunately the wedding was pretty normal. No peacock feather wedding dress. Only a few feathers sticking out of the bridesmaid's bouquets, and a few stuck into the arrangements at the wedding.

All of us had begun referring to the event as "The Peacock Wedding" and were a little disappointed with the results. Even my friend TWW sent out a message on Saturday morning stating "So, what are the travel arrangements for the peacock wedding". You know when the guys get in on the banter it has really reached a new level :)

All in all it was a lovely wedding. The weather was beautiful, and it was an open bar. You can't ever go wrong with good weather and an open bar.

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I cut out of the peacock wedding early. Some good friends were hosting a cookout/ladder golf tournament and I wasn't about to miss the competition! I changed into shorts and a polo and made it just in time for sign ups!

TEN was the grill master for the cookout piece of the evening. He refused to attend the peacock wedding with me because he is not a fan of the peacock bride AT ALL. Apparently they met on her bachelorette party night and he was not impressed.

In ladder golf my team won the first round, but then lost by 2 points in the second round. Boo hiss. Then, those that remained at the party headed down to the basement to play Rock Band. It was ugly. I'm not going to lie. I think I sang. I'm just hoping there isn't a video anywhere.

I proceeded to leave my camera at the party, so I didn't have it to take pictures of Sunday's festivities. Thank goodness Barbie had hers!

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Sunday morning was another meeting of the PJ
Brunch Club. I was the host this month,
and TEN volunteered to make eggs benedict and some yummy orange gooey rolls. I made bacon and a breakfast casserole and cut up some fruit. That's about all I've got to offer when it comes to cooking, but let me just say it was DELICIOUS!!!



After we filled our bellies to the max the girls piled on my spare bed to take a picture. There was only a small group at this month's gathering, as some of the members were out of town. But who says less isn't more ;) We sure enjoyed ourselves!



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TEN and I are going to see The Hangover tonight. I've heard that it is quite possibly the funniest movie ever. If it's not I will be disappointed. I'm not going to lie. I'm hoping it is awesome because I haven't seen a really funny movie in a long time. AND...I'll be sure to give you my honest opinion tomorrow. You can count on that!

T

It's Been A While...

...and I've lots to tell you about. However, when I was looking for a picture to insert that relates to my wonderful weekend I found this.....

MK sent me this little Natalie Dee cartoon when I first met TEN. I kept going back and forth saying I just didn't think I could date him b/c of the age thing. Obviously I've quit worrying about that at this point, but then...I saw this little cartoon and it made me giggle. Uncontrollably. I think the plan was that I was going to send this to him to explain that it just wasn't going to work. I'm really glad I didn't :)

T

You've Got Mail!

Tory Burch just e-mailed me. Yea. I know. I was pretty excited about it too.

Until I realized she wasn't trying to send me a little prize for my free advertising attempt last week. She was simply writing to say that studs are hot right now.

Whatever Tory. I hate studs.

Tory also tells me that I can receive a $50 gift card when I spend $450 - $750 at Tory Burch. Well, Tory...I would. Really I would. If you had my sizes :(

Sigh.

T